The next few days passed by in the blink of an eye. While their parents were barely present, the sisters still had each other for company even if both of them did not really desire such. On one particular afternoon however, something happened which would alter their current arrangement even if only temporary.
At the main gates of the estate was an ornate purple carriage, plated in fine rose gold and driven by strong ebony horses. The sisters had been informed prior that they would be the ones to greet the guests, something that neither of them really desired to do.
"Little sister, make sure to be polite. I doubt the owners of this carriage have no power." Estelle commanded, standing upright with a calm and gentle expression.
"Of course, I won't do anything to dishonour my house." Liandra quickly answered.
The two had quickly grown accustomed to the dynamic. Liandra, who had no idea what Estelle would do to her if she slipped up, did not do anything that would get herself in trouble. While this dynamic felt draining and humiliating for her, Liandra still tried her best to stay strong and not show her clear displeasures.
The carriage was soon opened by a servant, revealing two silhouettes which were lightly obscured by the glaring rays of the bright sun. As they got closer to the sisters, the pair of silhouettes became clearer images, enough to make out important details. For instance, both had beautiful golden hair, dazzling green eyes and wore mainly white. The only difference between the two figures was one was obviously a woman and the other was definitely a man.
A servant then approached the sisters, whispering some details into their ears. "Young mistresses, these are the the second prince and the third princess. Please be sure to greet them with upmost respect." The servant bowed his head respectfully and returned to his post afterwards.
"Your highnesses, it is an honour to meet both of you." Estelle bowed her head in respect.
"A honour indeed." Liandra followed suit and made sure to bow properly.
The royals held warm expressions on their faces, not too sure how they wanted to react. The princess waved both hands nervously. "Such formalities are not needed between us. We are all of similar age, let us speak like friends. Just refer to me as Rena and my brother as Reginald."
"And if I'm not wrong, the one with black hair is Estelle and the one with white hair is Liandra?" The prince tries to confirm, showing some obliviousness to the current situation in the estate.
"I am Liandra, my beautiful older sister is Estelle." Liandra quickly responded, making sure to score some points with Estelle to get into her good graces.
Estelle side-eyed Liandra, avoiding the urge to scoff. In her eyes, those were meaningless words. How could the villainess ever praise someone else? It was impossible.
"As my younger sister said. I am Estelle Vermillion and my cute little sister is Liandra Vermillion." Estelle pinched one of Liandra's cheeks, exerting only a small amount of force to not leave any marks.
"It seems the relationship between you two is good. It is quite enviable seeing two siblings getting along so well." Rena sighed, eyeing her brother with a look of disappointment.
Estelle knew this couldn't be further from the truth. If Estelle and Liandra had a good relationship than the royal heirs caught in a power struggle would surely be like model siblings. Even if the intentions meant well, they fell on deaf ears.
"Indeed, these two sisters are like two peas in a pod. I doubt one could seperate them even if they tried their absolute hardest. And they stick so close together, one might think they are joined at the hip." Reginald chuckled lightly, meaning nothing malicious yet still showing a light disrespect.
"Yes, my sister and I are inseparable. We even share the same bed since we trust each other so much… Liandra is so cute when she's sleeping, just like a puppy." Estelle projected an empty smile, appearing rather adiantum at that moment but feeling nothing on the inside.
'My sister is my slave. I've taken over her room and she looks like a bitch when she's sleeping.' We're the words that Liandra registered. At least that was what she understood.
"How provocative~ I really do like the way you present yourself, Estelle. You wouldn't mind if we came inside and had a little chat, would you?" Rena stepped closer to Estelle, whispering into her ear.
Estelle jolted back but quickly regained her composure. This wasn't what she was used to. Rena was clearly trying something, something that Estelle found foreign.
"Of course, I will have the servants prepare a room for us to all speak…" Estelle signalled to a servant to prepare a room.
Liandra's attention was grabbed by Estelle's sudden display of weakness. This was unlike her crazed and manipulative sister. Something wasn't right and Liandra wanted to know exactly what cause this. If she knew, maybe she could gain some form of power over Estelle and shift the balance.
However, different thoughts were streaming through Estelle's mind. For instance, why did she back away out of instinct? What why was the whisper the cause of such an uncontrollable shock. Estelle did not understand why she reacted that way. But now, she had her guard up in case Rena tried something like that again.
The group soon found themselves in a spacious room by the top floor's main balcony. There were two rather comfortable sofas on either side of a slim rectangular table. This was something rather typical for a meeting place. Servants trailed in and out with deserts and drinks every now and then but other than that, it was nice and private.
"I assume both of you are comfortable with this setting. If there is anything you might want to discuss, this is the best place to do so." Estelle clapped her hands together once and place them on her lap.
"Right down to business, huh? I like your style Estelle. I'll let Reginald say the details, it's his problem anyway." Rena took a sip of tea and sighed softly.
Reginald tensed up slightly, unsure of how to properly say this. His sister had already scolded him on the way to the duke's estate, telling him to get this done right. The formalities were now over and he had to present his case.
"As you may already know, the first prince has a lot of support from the regional nobles. He has secured alliances with minor nobles and marquises alike. With his current support and lack of opposition, I will surely lose the struggle for the throne."
"And what does this have to do with the Duchy of Vermillion?" Estelle questioned.
"I… I would like to formally request an engagement with Liandra Vermillion!"